Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

I’m a big believer in having a plan A, B, and even C. However, this requires us to step outside our comfortable, well-worn, “proven” assumptions and the status quo.

This is why otherwise smart people didn’t understand how anyone could possibly want something like a home PC, telephone, or fax machine. We didn’t have them, so why would we want them? (Yes, Virginia - fax machines were once leading, bleeding cutting edge.)

Also, we tend to view the future in terms of the present. Things won’t change, right? Things like cheap oil, for instance. How many industries are now suffering because we’re finally paying what Europeans have been for years? (In fact, we’re still paying less at the pump than other countries). Everything from long-haul trucking (obvious) to restaurants (not so obvious.) Once one domino falls…

Two “What If” tips:

1. If you find yourself saying, “but that would never happen…” then have a plan for it happening. Or at the very least, be aware so you can react in time. (The time to change a strategy is when it’s still working.)

2. If it makes you uncomfortable to think about…think about it.

Tags: business development, strategy, strategic planning